Menarini to market Asacol in China

Switzerland-based Tillotts Pharma AG, part of the Japanese Zeria Group (TYO: 4559), today announced an agreement with Italy’s Menarini and its Chinese subsidiary for the distribution and marketing of Tillotts’ Asacol (mesalazine) product range in the People’s Republic of China.

Under the terms of the agreement, financial details of which were not disclosed, Menarini will be Tillotts’ exclusive and long-term partner in China with the marketing authorization to sell and promote Asacol, a first-line treatment for mild to moderate ulcerative colitis (UC).

The agreement is strategically important for both Tillotts and Menarini due to the steadily increasing number of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients in China. China has among the highest number of IBD cases in Asia with a two- to three-fold increase in incidence in the past decade. The introduction of this high strength mesalazine tablet formulation to the Chinese market is expected to optimize the therapeutic options for IBD in China.